Cochlea
The inner ear cochlea is an intricate organ required for hearing, composed of a mosaic of sensor hair cells organized like a checkerboard. This precise patterning is governing by a process termed planar cell polarity. As mechanoreceptors critical for hearing and balance functions, hair cells are crowned by stereociliary bundles functioning to detecting sound and motion. To pinpoint how these complex functions are regulating, investigators in SICHL employ molecular, imaging, and electrophysiological approaches to dissect the mechanisms, with the ultimate goal of curing hearing loss and balance dysfunction.
